This section provides a general summary of background information related to vehicle door latches and the components and examples provided in this section are not necessarily prior art to the inventive concepts and features provided by the present disclosure.
A vehicle closure, such as a door for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, is typically hinged to swing between open and closed positions and is equipped with a door latch assembly. The door latch assembly functions in a well-known manner to latch the door when closed, to lock the door in the closed position, and to unlock and unlatch the door when required to permit the door to be opened and swung to its open position.
The door latch assembly can be operated remotely from the exterior of the motor vehicle by at least two distinct operators which typically include a key cylinder that controls operation of a latch mechanism and an outside door handle that controls operation of a release mechanism. Similarly, the door latch assembly can also be operated remotely from inside the passenger compartment by at least two distinct operators which typically include a sill button/pull knob that controls the operation of the latch mechanism and an inside door handle controlling operation of the release mechanism. Modern door latch assemblies commonly include one or more power-operated features, such as power lock and/or power release functionality for controlling operation of the latch mechanism and/or the release mechanism using electric motors which receive control signals from a keyless entry system.
Virtually all door latch assemblies employ a ratchet and pawl type of latch mechanism for releasably engaging and holding a vehicle-mounted striker when the door is in its closed position. Due to door sealing loads, it is known that a rather large release effort may be required to release the pawl from engagement with the ratchet so as to permit the ratchet to subsequently pivot from a striker capture position to a striker release position. As an alternative to single pawl latching systems, some door latch assemblies are equipped with a double pawl latching arrangement which utilize a primary ratchet and pawl set that is operably connected to a secondary ratchet and pawl set. The connection may be configured such that only a portion of the forces experienced by the primary pawl and ratchet set are applied to the secondary pawl and ratchet set, thus requiring only relatively low release efforts to release the latch assembly.
While door latch assemblies of the type noted above operate satisfactorily for their intended purpose, a recognized need exists to develop alternative door latch assemblies that improve upon known configurations in terms of enhanced operation, reduced weight and cost, and optimized packaging. In particular, a need is recognized to advance the art related to double pawl latching systems by simplifying the configuration thereof via reducing the number of moveable components and the complexity of such components.